New Raiders team president Sandra Douglass Morgan. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders have picked Sandra Douglass Morgan as their new team president, making her the first black woman to fill that role in NFL history.
The Raiders have a way with being on the forefront of historic hires in the NFL. They just made another one.
On Thursday, the team announced Sandra Douglass Morgan as the new team president.
The former chairwoman of the Nevada gaming control board is the first black female to be named an NFL team president.
Raiders make historic front office hire, name Sandra Douglass Morgan president
“I am thrilled that Sandra has agreed to join the Raiders family,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement. “Her experience, integrity and passion for this community will be invaluable to our organization. From the moment I met Sandra, I knew she was a force to be reckoned with. We are extremely lucky to have her at the helm.”
Morgan’s background is in law. She was the first African-American city attorney in Nevada. She has worked as a litigation attorney and has extensive experience in the gaming and hospitality industry.
Critically for the Raiders, she is an NFL outsider. She’s bringing a fresh set of eyes to an organization that has been hit with allegations of maintaining a hostile work environment. By choosing not to hire from within, the franchise gave itself a chance to set a new tone that should yield better ideas and practices.
Being a long-time resident of Las Vegas, she also understands the unique region where the relocated franchise now finds itself.
The Raiders were the first team to hire a woman as CEO when Al Davis appointed Amy Trask to that position in 1997. His son, Mark, is now giving another trailblazing woman a chance to make her mark on the NFL.